Towel rack



p 1943- H. J. WATRAL ETAL 2,315,566

TOWEL RACK Filed Aug. 17, 1940 [ls/w Y J. WA TIMI. All) Jossxw Hus/15 INVENTORS.

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Patented Apr. 6, 1943 TOWEL RACK Henry J. Watral, Queens Village, and Joseph Helenek, Elmhurst, N. Y

Application August 17, 1940, Serial No. 353,072

Claims.

This invention relates to suspending or supporting devices for sheet materials, particularly towels and the like, and has for its main object to provide a device of this character which will have a novel construction, showing great improvement over the devices now used for such purpose, which will be more eiiicient and simpler in construction, and which will be inexpensive to manufacture and easy to apply.

Another object of this invention is to provide a support for towels and similar articles which will have two supporting bars proper, spaced apart from one another thereby providing an air space underneath the towel and the like, and which will permit an access of the air to all the surfaces of the towel or the like, and the passing of the air therethrough in all its portions, thereby insuring a quick drying thereof.

-Still a further object of this invention is to provide a device as characterized hereinbefore, with securing means whereby it may be quickly and easily applied on a vertical wall or similar surface, said securing means also providing additional support and means for hanging appropriate other objects thereon in addition to the towel or the lik on said spaced apart bars.

Still further objects of this invention will be apparent as the specification of the same proceeds, and among others we may mention: to provide a device of the type indicated in which the securing means may be made of a single piece of wire and the spaced apart bars also may be made of a single piece of wire, each in a novel fashion, wherein the securing means may be easily applied on the device, or removed therefrom, and, in a similar manner, said securing means may be easily applied on the vertical wall or the like and as easily and quickly detached therefrom, and which device may be easily and inexpensively manufactured.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification and accompanying the same:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of our device Referring now to the drawing more in detail by characters of reference, the numeral Ill indicates a towel rack or similar device built according to this invention in general, the same being formed of a towel support proper I l, a left hand securing means l2 and a right hand securing means I3.

The towel support proper, is, in the emborliment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, made of one single piece of wire in a closed elongated oval indicated in Fig. 2. having the two 5 bars l4 and i5, and the left hand semibent connection l6, and a right hand Sil'i'li nection ll, between the two bars l4 and The left hand and right hand secur are of identical construction and they a.=.- shown more in detail and on a larger scale Fig. 3. Each has a reversed S or question mart; shaped wire member, generally indicated by the numeral l8, having a preferably larger upper curved portion 18 turned towards the wall or to the vertical support 20, and a smaller curved hook shaped lower portion 2| open outwardly from said supporting wall 20.

A rubber vacuum cup 22 is secured on the end portion 23 of the upper wider curve l9 as by pulling thereon a sleeve like portion 24 of the vacuum cup. Said vacuum cup, as well as its securing sleeve 24, are preferably made of rubher or similar elastic material, as it is well known in this art. The left hand curved connection l6 of the support proper II is permanently secured to the upper portion 19 of the securing member 12, as at 25, said securing being by any appropriate means, welding being indicated in the drawing.

As has been mentioned, the right; hand support l3' is identical in construction to the left hand support [2 and the right hand curved connecting portion ll of the support proper II is secured thereto by welding, as indicated at 26.

When it is desired to use the device, the same will be placed against the supporting wall 20, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, and an appropriate pressure will be exerted thereon perpendicularly to the wall 20, as indicated by the arrow 21, whereby the vacuum cup 22 will be flattened out and will strongly adhere to the wall 20 under the atmospheric pressure, as it will be understood.

The lower smaller curve 2| of the securing element I! will rest against the wall with its innermost portion 2|a, as indicated in Fig. 5, which shows our securing means in the position they will take when in use.

As will be understood, the towel or other similar object, particularly textile sheet material, will be thrown over both bars ll and Ill, and the two ends thereof will be permitted to hang down at each side, as indicated in Fig.. 3 by the towel 28 shown in an imaginary manner by the dot and dash lines.

It will be seen that an air space 28a is formed underneath the towel so that the air will have ready access to both sides of the towel all over its body. and the air may penetrate through the towel in every part of it, thereby insuring a quick, emcient and sanitary, hygienic method of drying the towel.

The hooks formed by the upwardly bent lower terminations 2! of both right and left hand securing means I: and I: may be used for hangi s. any appropriate or suitable articles thereon,

thereby giving additional usefulness to the device.

' While we have shown and described a preferred embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that changes and variations may be made in the construction of its parts and in their combination, and we reserve our rights to all such changes and variations which are within the spirit of this speciflcation'and the scope of the claims hereunto appended.v

One of such changes may consist in applying a metal plate or cup instead of the vacuum cup 22 and securing it on the support or wall 20 by other means than air pressure, as by screws, nails, etc.

Another modification is indicated in Figs. 4 and 5 wherein instead of a single piece of elongated oval wire ring H being used for the support proper, two independent wires 30 and SI may be secured unto the securing means I! and I3, otherwise constructed similarly to the ones described in connection with Figs. 1 to 3, said securing again being done by any appropriate means, as by the welding indicated at 32.

What we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a supporting rack for towels and the like, two supporting bars proper spaced apart from one another, and means to secure said bars on a substantially vertical surface, like a wall, said bars being spaced apart from said surface, said bars being formed of one piece of wire bent into an elongated shape, and said securing means having a right hand and left hand member, said continuous elongated wire piece being secured'to respective members at its two ends, each of said securing members including an 8 shaped bracket, the. lower end thereof being adapted to rest against said surface, and securing means proper having an opening to receive the upper end of the 8 shaped bracket.

2. In a supporting rack for towels and the like, two supporting bars proper spaced apart from one another, and means to secure said bars on a substantially vertical surface, like a wall, said bars being spaced apart from said surface, said bars being formed of one piece of wire bent into an elongated shape, and said securing means having a right hand and left hand member, said continuous elongated wire piece being secured to respective members at its two ends, each of said securing members including a wire element, shaped as an S, the upper branch thereof being adapted to engage securing means proper for the wall surface, and the lower branch thereof being adapted to rest against said surface, said securing means proper being in the form of a vacuum cup having an opening to receive the upper end of the S shaped bracket. 1

3. In a supporting rack for towels and the like. twd wires spaced apart from one another and spaced apart from a vertical supporting surface,

like a wall, said wires being placed in a plane substantially perpendicular to said surface, securing means for said wires on said vertical surface including two brackets, each shaped of a piece of wire, means securing the ends of said supporting wires to the brackets, respectively, each bracket having a free portion bent inwardly towards said surface and then downwardly, and a vacuum cup for each wire bracket adapted to engage said vertical surface and having an opening to receive said free portion of the bracket, each wire bracket being in the form of a reverse 8 having a larger upper and a smaller lower curvature, the free end of said larger upper curvature being adapted to be inserted into the opening in said vacuum cup and the forwardly and upwardly turned end of the lower smaller curvature being adapted to serve as a hanger for appropriate articles, while said lower curvature will be adapted to rest against said vertical surface for an added support and steadying of the device.

4. In a supporting rack for towels and the like, an elongated endless loop of wire being formed of two longitudinal straight sides, substantially in parallelism with one another, and two curved terminations connecting the respective ends of said straight wire sides, said elongated endless loop of wire being placed in a plane substantially perpendicular to a vertical supporting surface for said rack, like a wall, said wires being spaced apart from said wall, a. wire bracket for each end of said wire shape having an inwardly and downwardly curved free upper end, the respective termination of said wire loop being secured to said wire bracket, and a vacuum cup for each bracket having an opening adapted to receive said free upper end of the bracket.

5. In a supporting rack for towels and the like, an elongated endless loop of wire being formed of two longitudinal straight sides, substantially in parallelism with one another, and two curved terminations connecting the respective ends of said straight wire sides, said elongated endless loop of wire being placed in a plane substantially perpendicular to a vertical supporting surface for said rack, like a wall, said wires being spaced apart from said wall, a wire bracket for each end of said wire shape having an inwardly and downwardly curved free upper end, the respective termination of said wire loop being secured to said wire bracket, and a vacuum cup for each bracket having an opening adapted to receivesaid free upper end of the bracket, each bracket being substantially in the form of a reversed 8 having a larger upper and a smaller lower curvature, the free end of said upper curvature being the one to engage said vacuum cup, the lower curvature being adapted to rest against said wall and thereby provide added support and steadying means for the device, the inwardly and upwardly curved lower end of the bracket so formed being adapted to be used as a hanger for appropriate articles.

HENRY J. WA'I'RAL. JOSEPH I'IELENEK. 

